Over the past century, theme parks have created worlds where
pirates still loot Caribbean towns, where daring adventurers
explore booby-trapped temples, and where superheroes swing from
New York skyscrapers - and allowed us to step into them too.
This is a book about how to design those fantastic places, and
the ingenuity that goes into their creation.

This is a handbook for the practicing designer, a textbook for
the aspiring student, and a behind the scenes guidebook for the
theme park fan, building on hundreds of interviews with
accomplished designers from Walt Disney Imagineering, Universal
Creative, Merlin Entertainments, and more. Theme Park Design & The Art of Themed
Entertainment explores everything from the stories, themes, and
characters that theme parks bring to life, to the business
models, processes, and techniques that allow them to do it.

From rocket ships to roller coasters, fairy tales to fireworks
shows, and dinosaurs to dark rides, never before has a book
dived so deep into the art form of themed entertainment.

Written by David Younger
Foreword by Tony Baxter,
Afterword by Joe Rohde

“This is the most thorough book on
theme park design I have ever seen. One
that quotes real designers with priceless knowledge.”

“This book captures in one document
the greatest collection of turning points, philosophies,
and ground rules that have sprung to life since the
birth of the theme park. I can’t imagine a person
contemplating a role in themed entertainment not coming
out of this immersive experience inside David Younger’s
mind without the equivalent of a Master’s Degree in the
psychology of the themed experience.”

“What a
fantastic, very comprehensive, book. I’m a forty year
veteran of the themed entertainment industry and I still
learned a few things! I would recommend this to aspiring
theme park designers, and to my colleagues as well.”

Peter Alexander

Lead Designer
Universal Studios Florida
(1990)

Tony Baxter

Lead Designer
Disneyland Paris
(1992)

Jon Binkowski

Lead Designer
Hard Rock Park
(2005)

“It's the kind of
book our young industry has never really had before -
equal parts academic, celebratory, and archival, with
the Herculean and noble goal of trying to summarize and
quantify a half-century sprawl of disparate,
disconnected design techniques, achieving it admirably.”

“The most comprehensive book in
experiential design! David Younger’s in-depth research
and collection of comments from the most influential
theme park designers in the world will make this book
the gold standard for the themed design industry.”

“An invaluable
reference for both the practicing designer and for
anyone who wants to learn this art form.”

“You have in your hands David
Younger's Theme Park Design, a colossal
compendium of the best guidance that has been collected
from the best in the business. Theme Park Design
covers all the bases. I speak from experience. I'm one
of Walt Disney's original eighteen 1954 Imagineers. We
started the whole theme park industry, an unending trial
and error saga. All the hard earned lessons of the past
sixty years are now offered in Theme Park Design
to guide YOU.”

“A comprehensive textbook that
codifies theme park design in a way that no single book
has achieved before it.”

“David Younger has distilled the
theme park design and production process from a vast
cloud of pixie dust into a thoroughly-researched and
incredibly detailed account of how dreams are made. It’s
the perfect balance of pull-back-the-curtain magic and
intelligent discussion of theme parks from concept to
completion.”

Bob Gurr

Lead Designer
Disneyland Monorail
(Disneyland, 1959)

Craig Hanna

Chief Creative OfficerThe Thinkwell Group

Garner Holt

Chief Executive Officer
Garner Holt Productions

"David Younger has created one of the
finest studies of the themed entertainment industry ever
attempted. It is a comprehensive and thoughtful analysis
of every aspect of this most complex design discipline
from the micro to the macro levels without once becoming
heavy handed. Congratulations on providing both the
novice and the grizzled veteran with this
wonderful compendium!”

“I have never seen such an
exhaustive, thoroughly researched treatment of this
subject, anywhere; well organized and extremely
readable. If I were teaching a course in theme park
theory and design, I would want this as my standard
text.”

“Authoritative, entertaining, and
fascinating, Theme Park Design is a themed
entertainment aficionado’s dream. David Younger has
created a one-of-a-kind work that is both a scrupulously
researched reference and a jolly good read; an excellent
encyclopedia on its subject, and a 'bathtub book’ one
can open to any page and have a wonderful time
exploring.”

Steve Kirk

Lead Designer
Tokyo DisneySea
(2001)

Tim Kirk

Lead Designer
Muppet*Vision 3D(Disney's Hollywood Studios, 1991)

Jeff

Kurtti

Lead Designer
The Walt Disney Family Museum
(2009)

“Probably the most comprehensive
summation of themed design committed to print. David
Younger has really pulled it all together, in one very
readable package.”

“Theme Park Design is an
amazing compendium of theme park and themed
entertainment knowledge. This book covers the who, what,
where, and why of creating themed entertainment projects
and includes personal insights from the top thought
leaders and designers who have shaped the theme park
industry over the last sixty years. This is a must read
for anyone interested in this highly creative and
technical industry.”

“This is a seminal tome for our
industry. David Younger has compiled and made sense of
the incredibly wide range of work and art that our
industry has produced. With clear affection, but
intelligent discrimination, he examines the successes
and failures that have already evolved in the short
history of the art form. Many of the issues he tackles
have come again and again in my career, and he provides
a wonderful compendium of diverse perspectives. I read
it with constant fascination.”

Joe Lanzisero

Lead Designer
Disney Dream
(Disney Cruise Line, 2011)

Monte Lunde

Founder
Themed Entertainment Association
(TEA)

Luc Mayrand

Lead Designer
Treasure Cove
(Shanghai Disneyland, 2016)

"David Younger has created an essential document for
those wishing to have a deeper understanding of the
theme park industry. Filled with indispensable quotes
from industry luminaries, it provides both the layman
and the professional with an excellent resource on how
theme park attractions are imagined and brought to
fruition."

“The art of theme park design
involves more alchemy than it does art or science, and
much of the secret sauce resides behind the obvious
surface. Perhaps that’s why so little has been written
about the subject, let alone anything of practical
value. David Younger’s book is the first to break down
many of these illusive and temporal theories into
distinct, understandable, and enlightening
observations.”

“A great resource! This
extensive, well-written guide should be on the desk of
any person who wants to understand the business, art,
and science of theme parks. Whether you’re new to the
themed entertainment industry or an old pro, you’ll find
this handy reference an indispensable guide.”

Chris Merritt

Lead Designer
Far Far Away
(Universal Studios Singapore, 2010)

Tom Morris

Lead Designer
Hong Kong Disneyland
(2005)

Paul Osterhout

Lead Designer
Walt Disney Studios
(2002)

“Expertise is real, and, at least in
part, quantifiable, as David Younger’s magnum opus
demonstrates. By amassing the communal knowledge of this
disparate and diverse group into a single opus, David
Younger has provided us all with a landmark in our
intellectual space.”

“David Younger has pulled together an
engaging anthology of theme park design information that
is vast in its levels of detail and well worth
exploring. His book acts much like an Epcot pavilion,
providing a grand doorway through which the interested
reader can pass to gain insight on a plethora of subject
matter, provoked to dig deeper and learn more about the
complexities of our industry and the design process by
which it is continually enriched.”

“David Younger has pulled together an
engaging anthology of theme park design information that
is vast in its levels of detail and well worth
exploring. His book acts much like an Epcot pavilion,
providing a grand doorway through which the interested
reader can pass to gain insight on a plethora of subject
matter, provoked to dig deeper and learn more about the
complexities of our industry and the design process by
which it is continually enriched.”

Joe Rohde

Lead Designer
Disney's Animal Kingdom
(1998)

Rick Rothschild

Lead Designer
The American Adventure (Epcot,
1982)

Bob Shreve

Lead DesignerJurassic Park
(Universal's Islands of Adventure,
1999)

“Walt Disney said it’s fun to do the
impossible. David Younger has done just that by
capturing an entire industry between two covers. If you
want to be a theme park designer, or just love the
history and inside jargon, this book is a labor of love
- an E Ticket!”

“Theme Park Design is an
exhaustive, in-depth exploration of storytelling in
three dimensions. Featured are the words of the creators
of this unique art form, as well as David Younger’s
well-informed analysis of the history, the business, and
the process of creating themed entertainment. The scale
and scope of the book is totally unprecedented. For a
serious fan, student, or employee, here is the complete
story, a real deep dive into the Art of the Show.
Indispensable.”

“In this insightful book, David
Younger burrows into the theme park industry in an
intelligent and thorough way, analyzing it from the
perspective many of us take for granted and never bother
to articulate. This book will become the definitive work
to guide theme park designers.”

Theme Park Design & The Art of Themed Entertainment is
the most in-depth book on theme park design ever written!
Across almost six hundred pages, the book explores
every aspect of theme park design, filled with more than two
thousand quotes from accomplished theme park designers and
commentators, and pulling together knowledge from more sixty
years of theme park design. Author David Younger explains:

“As a
young person within this industry, I viewed the process of
writing this book as an opportunity to learn from the best
designers in the history of theme park design, documenting their
advice, their perspectives, and their tried-and-tested
approaches to design.”

The book
draws from both historical and brand new interviews with
designers from Walt Disney Imagineering, Universal Studios,
Merlin Entertainments, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, and
many others.

Chapter 2: Business
explores the business model of the themed entertainment
industry, with the view that to design a good themed
attraction is to design something that can be
financially sustained.

Chapter 3: Process
describes the full design process for a themed project
from blue sky design to post-opening, and the
individuals involved at each stage.

Chapter 4: Theme
explores the difference between the manifestation theme
and dramatic theme, and physical theming itself: its
styles, its content, and its use across the different
scales of design.

Chapter 5: Story
looks at crafting a story for the themed experience:
incorporating the guest as a character, structuring the
experience, incorporating content, adapting Intellectual
Property, writing, and the story techniques used to
communicate with guests.

Chapter 6: Design
defines the techniques that apply to themed design
regardless of scale, from the styles of theme park
design that are dominant, to techniques such as Forced
Perspective, Intrusions, and Doubly Duty, alongside a
number of key
design disciplines including media
design, propping, and illusioneering.

Chapter 8: Land Design
focuses on designing a themed area containing multiple
stories: land layouts, transition zones, designing thelandscape and buildings, and
what goes in them, including
restaurants, shops, and restrooms.It also include shows, parades,
fireworks, and other spectaculars.

Chapter 9: Attraction Design
explores the design of singular story experiences,
beginning with their ride type and ride system
(including specific looks at roller coaster design,
simulator design, and more)

and
carrying on into attraction layout, ride vehicles, show scene design,
and more.

Theme Park Design & The Art
of Themed Entertainment is now available
and can be purchased right here, through Amazon, and
through book stores. All purchases of the book through this website come with
free shipping to the United States, United Kingdom,
Australia, and Europe.
Shipping to addresses outside the United States, United
Kingdom, Australia, and Europe, costs $10 per book, and
can be ordered here.

The book is available in two editions: a
Hardback Full Color Edition priced at $69.95, and a
Paperback Black & White Edition priced at
$49.95. Orders for the book are managed though
PayPal, and can be paid for with a Debit or Credit card.

Bulk discounts are available for
businesses, universities, and schools. For more
information, please email me at

Hardback Color Edition
$69.95United States

£49.99
United Kingdom, Australia, & Europe

Paperback Black &
White Edition
$49.95
United States

£34.99
United Kingdom, Australia, & Europe

Theme Park Castle
Poster
from $13.61Other products with
this design available too!

The Theme Park Guide to
Flat Rides Poster
from $13.61
Other products with this design available too!
Available through
Redbubble.com

The best way to get in touch is through our Facebook
or Twitter pages.
Alternatively, send an email to

About the Author

David Younger was born in Durham, England, and was introduced to
theme parks with the opening of Disneyland Paris in 1992. Theme
Park Design & The Art of Themed Entertainment was written while
undertaking the world's first ever Art & Design PhD research
project into the creative techniques of theme park design,
incorporating six months as a Creative Designer at Walt Disney
Imagineering in Glendale, California. David has additionally
served an elected two year term on the International Board of
Directors of the Themed Entertainment Association.

Copyright 2016 David Younger

The book is not associated with The Walt Disney Company,
Universal Studios, Merlin Entertainments, or any other company mentioned within
it.
The opinions of interviewees, quotees, and endorsers are those of the individual
and are not necessarily shared by any employer, past or present.